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what’s on your computer screen, you
have to move your head backwards
to see through the lowest part of
the lens. Reading while lying down
is not an option either because you
need to look through the bottom of
the lens, i.e. the ‘reading part’ of
your glasses. Because of the way
the lens is designed, only a specific
(small) part gives you a clear vision.
As a consequence, you have to
move your head from left to right if
you want to read something, instead
of just moving your eyes across the
page.
So, is it a better idea to use two
kinds of glasses, one for reading
and one for viewing objects further
away? Not a good idea if you go
running or cycling, because then
you do not only want a clear vision
when looking at the road ahead, but
also when you’re taking a look at
your bike computer or sports watch.
“For middle-aged people
with an active lifestyle,
presbyopia is a real problem.
And also for sportsmen
(archers, cyclists, golfers,
fishermen, etc.)”
The solution: digital
glasses
How does EYEco eyeCO tackle this
problem? By developing digital
glasses that can be activated
when necessary (e.g. by tapping
the frame). The right correction is
provided across the entire surface
of the lenses, providing a broad
field of vision to see up close or
further way. This way you have a
clear and comfortable vision, both
at work and at home. This solution
could even reduce absenteeism - as
people wouldn’t have as many neck
and back complaints - and could
help people to work longer and
more comfortably.
"The secret ingredient to the
digital glasses is a foil made
out of liquid crystal that is
integrated into the lenses.
By changing the electric field
of the crystal, the refractive
index is manipulated and
changes the lens power."
The electronics needed to make
this work are so small that they can
be invisibly integrated into regular
spectacle frames. This is essential,
because eyewear has become a
fashion statement. Nobody wants
to walk around with some electronic
gadget on their noses.
Investors and dream team
When EYEco eyeCO was founded,
Paul and Jelle soon managed to get
the support of 4 partners – Tokai
Optecs NV, FIDIMEC N, QBIC ARKIV
NV and SOFI – good for 1.4 million
euros in seed capital. Raising the
interest of these players wasn’t
that hard as market research had
indicated that a better solution for
presbyopia was in high demand.
In addition, the spin-off can also
count on a top team. Paul and
Jelle’s employees have years of
experience in display technology
and an extensive business network.
This allowed them to produce about
10 prototypes for first testing in just
one year (August 2017).
“At the beginning of 2018, they will
do a bigger test with glasses for office
work on the one hand and glasses
for sports on the other hand. They
chose to focus on these two target
groups as they suffer most from the
effects of presbyopia. EYEco eyeCO
plan to launch their first product in
the summer of 2018.”
Another field to explore:
augmented reality
The technology used in these
glasses also offers opportunities
for augmented and virtual reality.
Typical AR or VR glasses project the
information in your rear sight. When
you use these kinds of glasses for
an activity close to you, e.g. working
on a machine, problems can arise
because your eyes simultaneously
need to focus on information nearby
and further way. This is called a
convergence mismatch.
"Patented technology
from EYEco eyeCO can be
used to project the AR/VR
information in the near or
rear vision depending on
what’s convenient."
Although this offers interesting
opportunities, the company’s main
focus at the moment is and remains
developing digital glasses for
presbyopia.
Paul Marchal, CEO has 16 years
experiences in semiconductor R&D
and management at imec, Belgium.
He co-founded and headed imec’s
advanced packaging program with
>30M/y revenue. During this period,
he supported companies such as Xilinx,
Qualcomm, Samsung, Panasonic,
etc in adopting Through Silicon Via.
Thereafter, Paul became responsible
for supporting customers for all imec
technologies and developing new
business in USA, realizing over >$10M
in deals with significant growth
potential, across a wide range of
technologies and industries, including
large data companies. Paul obtained
his PhD in electrical engineering from
the Catholic University of Leuven,
Belgium
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